Investigation of the effects of dance therapy on balance, falling, posture and trunk control in individuals with stroke

A total of 42 individuals, 18 female and 24 male, aged between 18-45 years, were included in the study, which was conducted to investigate its effects on trunk control, functional independence and anxiety. Individuals were divided into two groups as treatment (28,57± 10,59) and control (34,05 ± 9,95) groups. There were 21 individuals in each group. Classical physiotherapy and art activity was applied to the control group, and dance treatment was applied to the treatment group in addition to classical physiotherapy. Berg Balance Scale and Mini-BESTest were used for balance assessment of individuals. In assessing the fall, The International Fall Efficiency Scale was used to assess posture, the Postural Assessment Scale in Patients with Stroke, and the Trunk Impairment Scale for trunk control were used. While independence in activities of daily living was evaluated with the Functional Independence Scale, Beck Anxiety Scale was used for anxiety. The patients in the treatment and control groups were treated with a physiotherapist 2 days a week for 8 weeks, and at the end of 16 sessions, both groups were evaluated before and after the treatment. When the results obtained were examined, a significant difference was found in favor of both groups in terms of balance, falling, posture, trunk control, functional independence and anxiety after the treatment (p<0.05). When the groups are compared, In terms of trunk control, it was observed that the treatment group was more effective in all parameters evaluated, except the trunk impairment scale static sitting balance results (p<0.05). In conclusion, in our study, it was observed that the curative effects of dance therapy applied in addition to classical physiotherapy were more effective on balance, falling, posture, trunk control, functional independence and anxiety in stroke individuals. Dance therapy can be considered as a viable approach in the rehabilitation of these patients.